


muscle memory

by Halbeary



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M, i just want them to b happy :-(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 08:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11309631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halbeary/pseuds/Halbeary
Summary: just a silly rebirth reunion bc i want them to be happy & together :(





	muscle memory

**Author's Note:**

> based on this post from tumblr user boosterbuddy: "what if booster keeps away from rebirth ted because he knows that in every universe in which they meet ted dies" :(

Ted checks his phone as the elevator descends. _Three A.M. Ugh._

“Fantastic,” he whines as he rubs at the corner of his eyes. “The board meeting tomorrow is gonna be _so_ much fun.”

The elevator keeps moving. Floor three, two, one, B– and then stops. Ted leans forward to activate the thumb scanner on the display 

“ _Working.._ ”

He will never regret giving his electronics the Star Trek computer voice. Never.

“ _Accepted. Welcome back, Mr. Kord._ ”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ted mumbles as the elevator begins to drop again. He doesn’t want to be here; he wants to be asleep in his bed, counting sheep until his alarm kicks him out of bed in the morning, but when he’d figured out the solution to the looping error in his latest version of the Bug’s firmware, his brain had nagged him to the point where he knew that if he didn’t fix it, he’d never be able to sleep. Thus, he found himself here, stepping out of the elevator and into his Beetle cave because he’s truly lost control of his life.

He doesn’t bother flipping on the lights; he knows this place like the inside of his goggles. Ted deftly sidesteps tables and workbenches, haphazardly backflipping over one of the chairs just because he can, and finally reaches the door to the Bug. He slaps his face a few times to wake up as he holds his left eye wide for the retinal scanner. 

“ _Authorized user present._ ” 

The door slides open and he slips inside, that little knot of tension between his shoulders easing as he’s illuminated by the familiar blue glow. He smiles, turns towards the console– 

There’s someone in his chair. 

He’s on alert an instant, feet darting towards the side panel to his right to disengage the lock and then a spare BB gun slips into his hand. He drops into a crouch and aims it at the back of the guy’s head.

“How did you get in here?”

The guy jumps, and then falls straight out of the chair, topping over to the right and crashing onto the floor of the bug. He can’t get a good look at him with the way his displays are backlighting the room and casting shadows on the guy’s face, but he appears to just be– sitting there. Staring. Ted flicks off the safety on his gun.

“I _said_ , how did you get in here?” He gestures around the Bug. “This area is off-limits.”

The guy still hasn’t moved. It’s starting to get a little unnerving. Finally, he speaks. 

“You’re–” his voice is soft and stilted, scratchy like he hasn’t spoken in a while, and it’s barely audible over the background hum coming from his electronics. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Ted blinks. “What do you mean _I’m_ not supposed to be here?” He throws his hand up in frustration. “ _You’re_ not supposed to be here! This place has the best security in the world! I should know, I programmed the damn thing!” 

The guy holds up his hands defensively. “I just–” Ted sees one of his hands run through his hair. “Okay, I don’t really have a good explanation, so I’m just going to–” Intruder Man shifts to his knees, bracing his hand on the chair’s armrest. Ted waves his BB gun around in what he hopes is a menacing manner.

“Nuh uh. Don’t move.” The man looks up at him. “You’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.”

Intruder Guy crosses his arms over his chest. “What’re you going to do if I don’t? Shoot me?” 

Ted narrows his eyes. Who _is_ this guy? He glances at his BB gun. Back to the guy. Back to his gun. Ted sighs and tosses it over his shoulder.

“Okay, you’re right. I’m not going to shoot you.” He shifts towards the control panel on his left. “But I am going to find out who you are, and how you–”

The lights flicker on.

Ted freezes.

The guy is _gorgeous_. Beautiful tanned skin, bright golden hair and big blue eyes that stare at him with something so anxious in his expression that it makes his stomach flop unpleasantly. He’s wearing some kind of suit– some gaudy gold ensemble ( _that Ted will admit, he can pull off_ ) with a blue star on his chest. He stares at the symbol and frowns.

He looks so familiar. _Where he has seen him before?_ He glances back up at the guy’s face, throat feeling tight all of a sudden.

“I–” he licks his lips “.. do I.. know you from somewhere?” 

Apparently that was the wrong thing to ask. Intruder Guy’s expression crumbles, eyebrows pinching in the middle and Ted can see his fingers clench tight around the chair’s armrest as he sucks in a painful-sounding breath.

“ _No_ ,” the guy croaks, shoulders hunching inward as he leans hard against the chair. “No, you don’t know me.” 

That statement sounds so goddamn miserable that Ted finds himself taking another step forward before he can stop himself.

“Hey, it’s–” he keeps his voice soft, lips quirked in a reassuring smile. “I mean, I’ve definitely seen you before.” He just can’t remember where. “Do you work here? Is that how you got down here?” _Some jilted intern perhaps?_ It’s happened before.

The guy huffs and scratches at the back of his head. “No, no I don’t work here.” Ted can see his eyes drop to the console, and something about the way they’re extra bright and shiny makes something in his chest squeeze. “Just feeling nostalgic, I guess.”

Ted’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. _Nostalgic?_ The guy reaches for something on the chair that he hadn’t noticed before– some kind of headpiece, a golden visor and some dark blue cloth and that–

Why does that visor make his breath catch in his throat, make his whole body freeze as he stares at the reflective lenses? Something feels like it’s banging on the back of his skull, some incessant, uneasy feeling that’s telling him that he’s forgetting something– that he’s forgetting something _really_ important. His heart pounds in his chest. Intruder Guy shifts, starts to move to slip around him and Ted desperately slams a hand on his chest to stop him. He catches the guy’s gaze.

“Who _are_ you?” he whispers, and each word is infused with such an overwhelming guilty feeling, like by not knowing who this guy is he is _monumentally_ fucking up. A notion that’s only amplified by the way that the guy looks down at his arm and clenches his eyes shut as if the sight is too painful to look at. 

“I’m no one,” the guy starts with a practiced-sounding forced tone. Ted can feel the way his muscles are trembling under his hand. “I shouldn’t be here, you’re right. I need to–” Ted hears his breath catch, and then his mouth trembles. “I need to go, I have to get out of here I shouldn’t have–” 

Ted watches helplessly as he crumples in on himself, hand over his mouth and then he sways where he’s standing. He looks so miserable that before Ted can really consider it he’s got an armful of beautiful sobbing stranger man, has one hand around his middle and the other patting the back of his hair as he props them against the side of the Bug. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” He rubs the middle of the guy’s back and gives a surprisingly not awkward pat to try and calm him down. Ted doesn’t really know why he’s doing this, other than the fact that there’s a guy who seems like the entire world just got pulled out from under him in the same room as him, and he’s never been able to turn his back on someone who needs help. Intruder Guy isn’t hearing it, just shakes his head against Ted’s neck and lets out another gut-wrenching sob.

“I can’t do it, Ted. I _can’t–_ ” 

Ted can feel his mouth moving against his neck and every word feels like a punch to the gut. _He called me Ted_ , he realises.

“What– what can’t you do? What’s wrong?”

His shirt is getting damp. He can feel the guy’s long eyelashes brush against his neck as he cries and that little motion makes his heart clench, makes him wrap his arms around him tighter and keep him afloat as he works through whatever he’s upset about. The guy lifts his head up slightly and thumps it back down on his collarbone. 

“ _Everything’s_ wrong, Ted. This whole goddamn timeline is wrong. I don’t know what happened, I can’t find who did it and I _tried_ , I keep trying but they must’ve found out what I was doing and then I was stuck–” the guy sucks in a huge breath and he’s not making any goddamn sense but Ted pats his back anyways, encourages him to continue.

“I was just- drifting, and then suddenly I was here, I was here and _you_ –” the guy tugs his head up again and Ted’s struck by the sheer amount of emotion he sees in the guy’s wet blue eyes. Blue Eyes blinks, and then there’s a warm hand cupping his face and Ted can feel the blood rush to his cheeks all at once.

“You’re _alive_ ,” the guy whispers, tone incredulous and full of disbelief. His thumb brushes across his cheekbone like he’s something precious, and that little motion makes Ted’s lungs squeeze until he can barely breathe. Intruder man chokes, and then he’s dropping his forehead to press against Ted’s and sobs out another strangled “– _you’re alive_.” 

Ted blinks, a cold, sinking feeling in his stomach. He pats the guy’s back again, unsure of why he can’t bring himself to pull away. “‘Course I am,” he murmurs into the tiny amount of air between them. _Why wouldn’t he be?_

The guy’s hand tangles in his shirt, head drops back to his neck and then he’s shaking his head again.

“I thought– maybe it’s a–” he sucks in a snot-filled breath “– a _second chance,_ you know? Like maybe I’d done enough, and this- _you_ \- that we could finally–” 

He sobs again, a deep, gut-wrenching sound that’s so pain-filled and horrible sounding Ted’s own eyes start to sting, and great, now he’s crying too and he doesn’t even know _why_. The guy’s forehead slips down on his chest, fingers clenched tight in the fabric of his thoroughly-ruined shirt.

“But you don’t _remember_ ,” the guy mumbles into his shirt. His head thumps against him again. “You don’t remember, and then I knew– I knew why you were here. Why you were _still_ here.” 

Ted wipes at his face and gently tugs at the back of the guy’s hair so he can look at him. 

“Don’t remember what?” 

The guy’s face crumbles again, loneliness and grief etched on every inch of his skin. Ted doesn’t think he’s ever seen someone look this broken in his entire life.

“ _Me_.” 

Ted blinks at him, eyes wide. That nagging feeling in the back of his head returns full-force, pounding against his skull and whatever he forgot it’s at the tip of his tongue, it’s _right there_ but something’s holding him back, something’s stopping him from remembering what it is and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. His temples throb and he has to reach up to try and stave off the sudden migraine. The guy’s forehead settles back against his collarbone as he sucks in a desperate-sounding breath.

“Every time, it’s because of _me_ ,” the guy cries into his chest. “I couldn’t save you from Max, or the second time when I fucked everything up.” 

His migraine morphs into a stabbing pain behind his left eye. Ted winces and lets out a little gasp of pain, and then guy keeps going. 

“Even when I was in the timestream I saw– I can _never_ save you, Ted.” The guy’s legs seem to give up and Ted slides down the wall with him until he has a lap-full of tanned skin. He’d blush if his head wasn’t hurting so bad, if he didn’t feel vaguely nauseous and like he’s on the verge of crossing some line that he’s not sure he wants to cross.

“And I know,” the guy croaks, “I know that the only reason you’re here, that you’re here and alive, is because–” he sucks in a breath with a pained, keening noise, and then–

“– is because you _don’t know me_.” 

The guy collapses on top of him, chest heaving as he sobs. His fingers spasm against his chest, a light squeeze right over his heart, and Ted’s heard enough. 

 _Enough_.

That pressure behind his left eye eases, and the sudden burst of familiarity makes his eyes go wide. 

“You idiot,” he says before he can stop himself, almost like muscle memory. “I always knew you had a tendency to be self-absorbed, but this is going a little far,” he hears himself say, eyes focused on the tangled mop of blond hair on his chest but mind racing as a hundred different emotions barrage him all at once. 

“ _Don’t–_ ” he hears from those beautiful lips pressed into his shirt. “ _Don’t do that, don’t–_ ” 

“You ever think that maybe it’s not your _job_ to protect me? That maybe I get myself into dangerous situations because I’m a stubborn masochist who doesn’t know when to quit?” The guy shakes his head, whole body trembling and Ted can’t take this anymore. He hauls him up until they’re eye-level. Something inside him breaks, like a wall being shattered, and a single memory comes to the forefront of his mind. 

“ _Boost_ ,” he whispers, and that name feels so natural on his tongue, like he’s been saying it for years, like he has every intonation memorized and carefully filed away in his brain and then he realises that he _does_ , he _knows_ this man. He knows him better than he knows himself. His hands cup Booster's face, and the way those big blue eyes of his go wide with disbelief makes his heart break all over again.

“Booster buddy,” he says through a wide smile as he feels another tear roll down the side of his face. Booster's hand reaches up and presses against his own, and then Ted’s laughing, quiet, water-logged laughs as he cries and then Booster– and it’s _him_ , it’s _Booster_ , his best friend, the gold to his blue– covers his mouth to try and muffle another gross-sounding sob and Ted hauls him forward, wraps him in a tight hug and presses his face into that ridiculous golden hair.

“How did I–” Ted closes his eyes as he’s hit with memory after memory, over and over until his head feels like it’s about to explode. _God_. “How could I ever _forget_ you?” 

Booster sobs, another heart-breaking sound from next to his ear and Ted shushes him, squeezing as tight as he can and refusing to let go. _In fact, he’s never going to let him go ever again for the rest of his life_ , he decides. _Fuck. How did he forget him?_ How did he forget _this?_  

“Ted. _Teddy_.” Booster buries his face into his neck and laughs, a wet, happy sound and Ted smiles and tilts his head into Booster’s hair and presses a sloppy kiss right into his hair because the last thing he remembers– the last time he ever _saw_ Booster was when he was in that time sphere, fading away and he remembers now, he remembers the look of despair and abandonment on Booster's face. He remembers being overwhelmed with guilt because he had to _leave_ him and now they’re here, they’re both _here_ and they’re both unhurt, alive and together. _How did he ever forget Booster?_ His favorite person in the entire world, the highlight of his entire life and he died, left him alone, got _resurrected_ , apparently, and then _forgot_ about him? Some kind of best friend he is. 

“I’m sorry,” he chokes into Booster’s hair. “I’m so sorry, Mikey.” 

Booster pries himself out of Ted’s neck and reaches out to brush some hair off Ted’s forehead.

“What? Why are _you_ sorry?”

Ted can see the deep circles under Booster’s eyes, can see the faint worry lines between his eyebrows and his forehead that he didn’t use to have. He knows what his death did to him, and he’s going to have to live with that.

“For– for leaving you alone.” His stomach clenches with guilt. He _had_ to go into that stupid mansion by himself. Couldn’t wait for backup. He just _had_ to prove to everyone that he wasn’t a joke. Look where that ridiculous stunt got him. Got _Booster_ , especially. He feels another tear slip down his face. “For forgetting you.” 

Booster shakes his head and smiles, a sad curl of his lips that makes Ted want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from every bad thing that has ever happened to him. 

“Ted, it wasn’t your fault. I _told_ you, there’s something manipulating the timeline.”

Ted rolls his eyes and huffs. “Excuses, excuses.”

Booster laughs, and that _sound_. _God_ , he’s missed that sound. He didn’t even realise what was missing from his life until tonight and it’s like every hollow, lonely part of him has been filled up, replaced by Booster's warm laughter and uncomplicated, unwavering friendship. Booster pauses and his expression turns grim. 

“What if by remembering me, you–” 

“ _Boost_ , the universe isn’t out to get you,” he cuts him off with an eye roll.

“You’d be surprised, Ted.” Booster’s eyes get a little wider. “I’ve seen some shit.” 

Ted laughs. “Yeah, I’ll bet. How’s Rip?”

Booster looks down, a frown on his lips. “I don’t know, I haven’t been able to find him– or my sister.” His forehead sinks back to Ted’s shoulder. “They might still be stuck, or.. I don’t know.”

Ted tugs his head up by the underside of his chin. He smiles, warm and determined.

“You’re _sister?_ ” Booster nods. _Apparently he missed out on more than he thought._  He slips his arm down to grab Booster’s hand. “We’ll find them. Together, okay?” He twists their fingers together and grins. “Blue and gold, back together; the world doesn’t stand a chance.”

Booster’s mouth tilts in a lopsided smirk. “Aren’t you _retired?_ ”

Ted purses his lips. “I– _yes_. Technically.” He taps his chest. “Heart condition.” 

Booster’s eyes go wide. “What, _again?_ ” 

Ted throws his hand in the air, forgetting that he’s still holding Booster’s hand in his confusion. “I don’t know! Maybe it’s the same one.” He runs his free hand through his hair. “I have no idea how I got here.” 

Booster looks at their hands for a moment and then wipes at his eyes and smiles at him. “Maybe it was–” his eyes go wide, fingers on his free hand waggling for dramatic effect “– _destiny_.”

Ted laughs a little and then tilts his head. “ _Destiny?_ Really?”

Booster shrugs. “I’ve seen a lot of different timelines, Teddy. Different universes, even.” He smiles and it’s slightly bashful this time, his eyelashes dipping low and his finger brushing over the back of Ted’s hand. “In every one, we’re always together.” He laughs a little. “Can’t have the gold without the blue.”

Ted’s heart rate spikes as Booster’s words sink in.

“Yeah?” he asks, head tilted to the side as he lets his eyes roam over Booster’s stupid beautiful face. He smiles. “Makes sense.”

And Booster’s eyes light up in the same way they used to– in that soft, unbridled, happy way that makes Ted’s heart melt and he decides right then and there that despite whatever multiverse-manipulating event that managed to bring them both here to this particular moment, this _is_ a second chance, dammit, and he’s _not_ going to waste it. 

So he reaches out, wipes at the wet trail under Booster’s eyes, tugs him in and kisses him.

The fact that Booster doesn’t hesitate for a millisecond just lets him know that they’re both on the same page. They’ve both wasted too much time trying to skirt around this thing– this love that they both have for each other– out of fear, inconvenience, weird outdated societal norms, or some combination of all three, Ted doesn’t know. What he _does_ know is that he’s not going to waste another second.

Booster makes a noise, a soft, pleased sound, and tilts his head to the right, presses him back against the wall and kisses him with everything he’s got, hot mouth sliding against his own and the fact that they waited so long to do this suddenly seems criminal with how _right_ it feels. Ted slides his fingers into Booster’s hair, one hand on his chest as he sucks on his lower lip and the _sound_ that he makes– _god_ , he’s missed him. He might not have known that it was _him_ he was missing, but he missed him all the same.

“I missed you,” Booster gasps as he pulls back to suck in a loud breath. He leans back in and kisses him again. “ _So much_.” 

Ted can’t do anything but clutch him tighter as he dives in for another kiss, tongue sliding against tongue and he quickly feels like he’s losing control of the situation. He’s been awake for at least 28 hours, he’s had his entire brain practically rewritten, and his best friend– that he only just remembered even _existed_ – is sitting on his lap, devouring his mouth like it’s the only thing he wants to taste ever again.. a sentiment that Ted can relate to, but for now.. 

He tugs back and lets their foreheads rest together, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath. Booster’s thumb brushes over his lips and he can’t help the quiet, giddy laugh that escapes him at his touch.

“I–” he hears Booster start, watches him bite on his lower lip and then shake his head a little before pulling back and catching his gaze. 

“I love you." Booster's smile slips a little bit. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it, uh– _before_.” He looks back up at him, eyes earnest and sincere. “But I always have. For years.” 

Ted’s chest bursts with such a happy, warm feeling that he knows he has to be looking like a crazy person, but he doesn’t care.

“I love you too.” He murmurs the words into Booster’s lips and then kisses him again, soft and sweet and everything that he ever thought it would be. Ted pulls back with another laugh. Booster tilts his head. 

“What?”

Ted leans his head back against the wall. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Dunno why it took me 20 years to say it.”

Booster beams. “Well, the ol’ gold and blue aren’t known for being the sharpest tools in the shed.” 

Ted gasps. “I can’t believe you used _Smashmouth_ for your 21st century education.” He groans. “That’s it, we’re breaking up.” 

Booster looks offended. “Uh, excuse you. Smashmouth is a classic. They experienced a renaissance of sorts in the 24th century. Cover bands, awards, the works.” 

Ted’s eyes widen in horror. “ _No_.”

Booster nods solemnly. “They’re a centerpiece for morality. School students have to dissect their lyrics for English class.” 

“Humanity is _doomed_.”

Booster laughs into his neck and then gives him another soft kiss before pulling back. 

“You look exhausted.” His fingers have tangled in the hairs on the back of his neck and Ted _hums_ at the contact. He runs a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, been up for a while. I actually came down here to–” he blushes “– to, uh.. to fix a bug in the firmware.”

Booster grins. “A nerd in every timeline, I see.”

Ted knocks him on the side of the head. “I wear it like a badge of honor.”

Booster pushes himself off the ground and offers Ted an arm before pulling him up as well. They stand still for a moment, both just– appreciating the moment for what it is. The start of something good; something _really_ good. Booster reaches down and squeezes his hand.

“Okay, I’ll let you get some sleep.”

And then he moves _away_ from Ted and _no, that will not do._ Ted snatches his arm before he can get more than a foot away.

“Uh, excuse me. Where do you think you’re going?” 

Booster blinks, eyebrows furrowed. “Um..?” 

Ted threads their fingers together. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me now. Forever, actually.”

Booster's expression gets all soft and sappy, lips quirked in a smile. “Yeah?”

Ted nods and tugs him towards the exit, flipping off the lights as he goes. “Uh huh. I’m already drawing up the plans for a Booster backpack.” He tugs him down the steps and begins to navigate them through the mess of scrap metal and scattered tools. “I’m just gonna carry you around so we don’t get separated again.” He looks back to beam at him. “Just as a precaution, y’know?” 

Booster laughs and drapes his arms over Ted’s shoulders. “Can it be gold?” 

Ted hums and presses the button for the elevator, the one that’ll take him straight up to his penthouse at the top of the building. “It can be whatever color you want, babe.”

Booster _tsks_ , but his eyes are impossibly warm. “Sap.”

Ted tugs him in for a kiss. “Yup, and don’t you forget it.”

**Author's Note:**

> i might write a sappy pwp sequel to this.. im considerin it.. stay tuned


End file.
